on the Severn two or three winters ago. I believe this species to be quite as common as the hooper.

Mute Swan (C. olor).-Far too common and too thoroughly domesticated to require any remark.

Shieldrake (Tadorna vulpanser).-A good specimen was obtained a . years ago in the farm-yard at Corfton Manor, where it had alighted amongst some tame ducks. It is in the possession of Mr. Thomas Lloyd Roberts. Another was in the collection of the late Mr. Pinches, killed at Lutwyche Hall. Several other instances have occurred in the county; still it is by no means common.

Shoreller (Anas clypeata).-Usually obtained in hard winters, but never very plentiful.

Gadwall (A. strepera).-A rare and very handsome duck, occasionally met with on the Severn.

Pintail (A. acuta).-A good many are annually taken in the various decoys in the county.

Wild Duck (A. boschas).—Sparingly distributed over the various streams and brooks. The greatest bulk of them are to be found in the decoys or upon those lakes and ponds where they are fed and protected.

Garganey (A. querquedula). — A very beautiful little duck, but seldom met with.

Teal (A. crecca).-I have seldom met with this bird during the last few winters. They appear to keep to the decoys and quiet ponds more than they did formerly, which will be probably accounted for by the great increase of gunners.

Widgeon (A. Penelope).-Never so numerous as the wild duck or teal in this county, though a certain number are obtained almost every winter.

Velvet Scoter (Oidemia fusca).—Very rarely met with so far from the sea coast, though I believe a few instances have occurred.

Common Scoter (O. nigra).- More frequently obtained than the preceding bird. I have seen a good specimen killed a few years ago at Burrington Pool.

Pochard (Fuligula ferina).—By no means rare. I have killed several of these birds on my pool at various times, but usually solitary specimens.

Scaup Duck (F. marila).—A rare duck in this county, though several specimens have been met with. It was killed by the late Mr.

Pinches, at Soudley Pond, and has also occurred to several other collectors.

Tufted Duck (F. cristata).-One of the commonest of our winter stragglers, though I have seldom seen more than one solitary individual at a time. I have repeatedly killed this duck in all stages of plumage, with the exception of the fully adult. In that handsome dress they are certainly rare.

Goldeneye (F. clangula).-About equal in rarity with the other oceanic ducks, though few winters pass without specimens of this handsome bird being met with on our rivers.

Smew (Mergus albellus).-The River Severn, near Shrewsbury, is a very favourite winter resort of this particularly elegant bird. I have a splendid pair in my collection, obtained from thence in the winter of 1865. They are full adult male and female. I also possess a very perfect specimen of an adult male, killed by me, some years ago, on my pool.

Redbreasted Merganser (M. serrator).-Seldom obtained, excepting in hard winters, and then not very uncommon. I have seen several good examples obtained in this locality.

Goosander (M. merganser).-Like the smew, this fine bird seems to frequent the River Severn, near Shrewsbury, in hard winters. It is by no means rare. I saw two magnificent old males last winter, which had been killed at Longuer by Mr. Burton.

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).-Breeds at Hawkstone, and on several of the meres and ponds on the Staffordshire side of the county; consequently it is by no means a rare bird.

Rednecked Grebe (P. rubricollis).-Exceedingly rare. I have never met with a recent specimen myself, but am informed that it has occasionally been obtained, generally in winter plumage.

Sclavonian Grebe (P. cornutus).-More frequently met with in that immature stage of plumage described by Bewick as the "dusky grebe" than in any other form. Specimens are not rare in winter on the Severn.

Eared Grebe (P. auritus).—I had the great satisfaction of examining two exceedingly fine specimens of the adult male bird in the flesh, killed at Hanmer Pool, near Whitchurch, in the summer of 1864. They were seen in the company of other birds of the same kind (probably females), and, no doubt, had these grebes remained unmolested, they would have bred there. They were in perfect plumage, and are in the possession of Mr. George Clay, of Wem.

Little Grebe (P. minor).-Common on almost all our rivers, brooks and ponds, where I fancy they remain the whole year. But for their great powers of diving, and cunning in concealing themselves, they would soon be exterminated in this part of the county, as I fear they have a very bad name amonst our anglers.

Great Northern Diver (Colymbus glacialis).-A very fine specimen of the adult female in Lord Hill's collection, killed at Ellesmere. I have also seen several other specimens obtained in immature plumage.

Blackthroated Diver (C. arcticus).-An exceedingly fine adult female of this bird is in Lord Hill's museum, killed at Gredington in 1862; I believe the only one met with in full adult plumage. In the immature dress they are much more frequent.

Redthroated Diver (C. septentrionalis).-A few have been obtained in winter, but they are rare in the full summer plumage with the red throat. Immature examples are not very uncommon.

Common Guillemot (Uria troile); Black Guillemot (U. grylle).— Very rare indeed so far inland, though an occasional specimen of each bird has been obtained in the county.

Little Auk (Mergulus melanoleucos).-This singular little wanderer has been frequently obtained.

One was picked up in an exhausted state near Shiffnal; another was caught under the Welsh Bridge, in Shrewsbury, now in Lord Hill's collection; and I have a specimen taken at the pool at Acton Scott, and there are many other instances on record of its capture.

Puffin (Fratercula arctica).—I only know of one bird, taken on Cornden Hill.

Razorbill (Alca torda).-Occasional, but very rare.

Common Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).-These birds are not unfrequently blown inland after heavy gales, and have been met with in almost every part of the county. I have seen and obtained them

on my estate.

Shag or Green Cormorant (P. graculus).—I had an immature specimen of this bird brought to me in the autumn of 1860. It was captured at Longville, where it had joined some ducks on a small pond in a garden; however, it did not survive many days, probably having been thoroughly exhausted before its arrival.

Gannet (Sula alba).-Several instances of its occurrence are on record. A fine specimen of the adult bird was killed at Market Drayton in January last, and I have a very good immature bird, obtained a few winters ago near Shrewsbury.

Roseate Tern (Sterna Dougallii).—Mr. Eyton has a bird in his collection killed at Longden Mill, the only one I believe ever met with

in the county.

Common Tern (S. Hirundo); Arctic Tern (S. arctica); Lesser Tern (S. minuta); Black Tern (S. fissipes).-Specimens of all these birds have been obtained in the county, of which I believe the black terus rather preponderate. They may all be considered as very rare and

uncertain visitants.

Little Gull (Larus minutus).-One specimen, in winter plumage, killed at Coalbrookdale, in the collection of Mrs. Alfred Darby, of Stanley Hall.

Blackheaded Gull (L. ridibundus).-Occasionally brought in by stress of weather. The last specimen I have seen was a bird in iminature dress, killed at Stoke Castle near Craven Arms Station.

Kittiwake Gull (L. tridactylus).—Stragglers are often met with after heavy gales; they are generally picked up in a thoroughly exhausted state, and seldom survive, though I have used every means in my power to bring them round.

Common Gull (L. canus).-Not so common as the preceding bird, but occasionally met with.

Lesser Blackbacked Gull (L. fuscus); Herring Gull (L. argentatus); Great Blackbacked Gull (L. marinus).—Specimens of all these sorts have been obtained, more frequently in the immature than in the adult plumage, and all probably from the same cause, the severe storms on the Welsh Coast.

Glaucous Gull (L. glaucus). - One of these fine gulls was obtained at Pradoe, in the act of devouring a dead sheep. Another specimen was killed at Condover Hall.

Pomarine Skua (Lestris pomarinus).—A very fine specimen of an adult bird, killed at Marten Pool, near Baschurch, is in Lord Hill's collection. The plumage is uniformly dark (almost black), and the two middle tail feathers considerably elongated. I believe another example was picked up dead in Shrewsbury, from having flown against the spire of St. Alkmond's Church.

Richardson's Skua (L. Richardsonii).—I have obtained several specimens in immature plumage, but in the adult stage they are rare.

Manx Shearwater (Puffinus anglorum).-This neat and interesting little bird has been met with on the Severn, near Shrewsbury; also picked up in an exhausted state at Weston, the seat of the Earl of Bradford.

Forktailed Petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii).-The fearful gales of last November were productive of several examples of this rare petrel. I saw one bird which was killed at Pradoe. Another was killed at Weston, near Shiffnal, by Lord Bradford. Some years ago Mr. Eyton obtained one of these birds at Montford Bridge; and Mr. Henry Shaw has killed one specimen.

Storm Petrel (T. pelagica).-Occasionally met with, driven from its proper resting-place, the ocean's stormy billows.

With this bird I shall conclude these few remarks. I trust they may have proved interesting; at any rate I can vouch for their being authentic.

Clungunford House, Shropshire,

March 6, 1866.

JOHN ROCKE.

Ornithological Notes from West Sussex.
By W. JEFFERY, jun., Esq.

(Continued from Zool. S. S. 142.)

JANUARY, 1866.

Willow Warbler.-On the 12th I saw a willow warbler flitting about in some alder bushes by the side of a stream. I have previously shot this species in the month of December.

Common Snipe.-Having winged a snipe on the 12th, I could not help noticing a peculiar manner which this bird had of spreading its tail and turning it up at right angles to its original position. It did this several times as it attempted to rise from the ground. Has any reader of the Zoologist' ever noticed this peculiarity? It has struck

me that it might have been done to aid the bird in rising, as the wing was only slightly tipped.

Brambling and Siskin.-Large flocks of bramblings appeared in certain localities (Sidlesham, &c.), principally about the middle of the month. I cannot find that they remained for any length of time, but several were shot. Siskins have appeared in limited numbers at times throughout the month, and altogether I have seen rather more of these birds than usual this winter.

Longeared Owl.-Towards the end of January six longeared owls were driven from a yew tree at Kingly Vale, on our downs, by a party of rabbit-shooters: three out of the six were shot. I have before